Born inNashville, Tennessee, Seigenthaler was the eldest of eight siblings. He attendedFather Ryan High Schooland served in theU.S. Air Forcefrom 194649, achieving the rank of sergeant.[3]After leaving the service, Seigenthaler was hired atThe Tennessean. While working atThe Tennessean, Seigenthaler took courses in sociology and literature atPeabody College, now part ofVanderbilt University. He also attended the American Press Institute for Reporters atColumbia University.[4] Seigenthaler began his career in journalism as a police beat reporter inThe Tennesseancity room[5]after his uncle encouraged an editor about his talent.[4]Seigenthaler gradually established himself on the staff among heavy competition that included future standout journalistsDavid HalberstamandTom Wicker.He first gained prominence in November 1953 when he tracked down the former Thomas C. Buntin and his wife. The bizarre case involved the son of a wealthy Nashville business owner who had disappeared in September 1931, followed six weeks later by the disappearance of his secretary. Seigenthaler was sent to Texas byThe Tennesseanafter reports surfaced that Buntin (now known as Thomas D. Palmer) was living somewhere in the Lone Star state. After a series of dead-ends, Seigenthaler struck pay dirt in Orange, Texas, where he saw an elderly man step off a bus. Noting the man's distinctive left ear, Seigenthaler followed him home. After three further days of investigation, he went back to the home, where he confirmed the identities of Buntin/Palmer, his wife, the former Betty McCuddy, and their six children.[6]Seigenthaler won aNational Headliner Awardfor the story.[5]Less than a year later, on October 5, 1954, Seigenthaler once again made national news for his efforts in saving asuicidalman from jumping off theShelby Street Bridgein Nashville. Gene Bradford Williams had calledThe Tennesseansaying he would jump and for the newspaper to "send a reporter and photographer if you want a story." After talking to Williams at the bridge for 40 minutes, Seigenthaler watched the man begin to attempt his 100-foot plunge off the bridge railing. Grabbing hold of his collar, Seigenthaler and police saved the man from falling into theCumberland River. Williams muttered "I'll never forgive you" to Seigenthaler.[7]On April 29, 2014, the bridge was renamed theJohn Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.[8]In July 1957, Seigenthaler began a battle to eliminate corruption within the local branch of theTeamsters, noting the criminal backgrounds of key employees, along with the use of intimidation in keeping news of certain union activities quiet. During this period, he contactedDave BeckandJimmy Hoffa, both top Teamsters officials, but the two men ignored Seigenthaler's queries. His series of articles resulted in theimpeachmenttrial of Chattanooga Criminal Court Judge Ralston Schoolfield.[9]Seigenthaler took a one-yearsabbaticalfromThe Tennesseanin 1958 to participate inHarvard University's prestigiousNieman Fellowshipprogram.[4]Upon returning toThe Tennessean, Seigenthaler became an assistant city editor and special assignment reporter.[5]PoliticsFrustrated by the leadership ofTennesseanpublisher Silliman Evans, Jr., Seigenthaler resigned in 1960 to serve as an administrative assistant to incomingAttorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedy. On April 21, 1961, Seigenthaler was the only other Justice Department figure to witness a meeting between Kennedy andMartin Luther King, Jr.During theFreedom Ridesof 1961, Seigenthaler was sent in his capacity as assistant toAssistant Attorney Generalfor Civil RightsJohn Doar[10]to be chiefnegotiatorfor the government, in its attempts to work withAlabama GovernorJohn Malcolm Patterson. After several days of refusing to return calls, Patterson finally agreed to protect the Riders, but their state trooper escort disappeared as soon as they arrived in Montgomery on May 20, 1961, leaving them unprotected before the waiting white mob.[11]Seigenthaler was a block away when he rushed to help Susan Wilbur,[12]a Freedom Rider who was being chased by theangry mob. Seigenthaler shoved her into his car and shouted "Get back! I'm with the Federal government"[13]but was hit behind the left ear with a pipe. Knocked unconscious, he was not picked up until police arrived 10 minutes later, with Montgomery Police Commissioner Lester B. Sullivan noting, "We have no intention of standing police guard for a bunch of troublemakers coming into our city."[14][15]Seigenthaler's brief career in government would conclude as a result of Evans' death from a heart attack on July 29, 1961. A brief transition period followed, during which long-timeTennesseanreporter John Nye served as publisher. On March 20, 1962, the newspaper made the announcement that Evans' brother, Amon Carter Evans, would be the new publisher.One of the new Evans' first acts would be to bring back Seigenthaler as editor. The two had worked together before at the paper, when Seigenthaler served as assistant city editor and Evans was an aspiring journalist. On one occasion during that era, the two nearly came to blows over Seigenthaler's assignment of Evans to a story.Evans named Seigenthaler editor ofThe Tennesseanon March 21, 1962.[16]With this new team in place,The Tennesseanquickly regained its hard-hitting reputation. One example of the paper's resurgence came following a Democratic primary in August 1962, whenThe Tennesseanfound documented evidence of voter fraud based on absentee ballots in the city's second ward.[9]Seigenthaler's friendship with Kennedy became one of the focal points ofJimmy Hoffa's bid to shift hisjury tamperingtrial from Nashville. Citing "one-sided, defamatory" coverage from the newspaper, Hoffa's lawyers were able to get Seigenthaler to admit he personally wanted Hoffa convicted. However, the journalist noted that he hadn't conveyed those sentiments to his reporters. Hoffa's lawyers gained a minor victory when the trial was moved toChattanoogain achange of venue, but Hoffa was nonetheless convicted in 1964 after a 45-day trial.The following year, Seigenthaler led a fight for access to the Tennessee state senate chamber in Nashville after a resolution was passed revoking the floor privileges ofTennesseanreporterBill Kovach. The action came after Kovach had refused to leave a committee hearing following a call forexecutive session.In December 1966, Seigenthaler andRichard Goodwinrepresented the Kennedy family when controversy developed about historianWilliam Manchester's book about theJohn F. Kennedy assassination,The Death of a President. Seigenthaler had read an early version of the book, which led toJacqueline Kennedythreatening a lawsuit over inaccurate and private statements in the publication.Seigenthaler then took a temporary leave from his duties at the newspaper to work on Robert Kennedy's1968 presidential campaign. During this period, the journalist was described by theNew York Timesas, "one of a handful of advisers in whom [Kennedy] has absolute confidence."[17]Moments after a victory in the California primary, Kennedy was shot by an assassin and died on June 6, 1968. Seigenthaler would serve as one of thepallbearersat his funeral, and later co-edited the bookAn Honorable Profession: A Tribute to Robert F. Kennedy.Remaining focused on the cause of civil rights, Seigenthaler then supported Tennessee BishopJoseph Aloysius Durickin 1969 during the latter's contentious fight to endsegregation, a stance that outraged many in the community who still believed in the concept.TheNew Yorkerdescribed Seigenthaler as being "well connected in the Democratic Party."[18]He was called a "close family friend" of the Kennedys,[19]a "longtime family friend" of the Gores,[20]and a friend of former Democratic SenatorJames Sasser.[21]In 1976, after having encouragedAl Goreto consider entering public life,[22]he tipped off Gore that a nearby U. S. House representative was retiring.[23]In 1981, Seigenthaler urged Sen. Sasser to return to the Democratic party's "liberal tradition": "I keep telling him that Reagan's going to make it respectable to be a liberal."[21]In 1984, Reagan's reelection team vetoed Seigenthaler as a debate panelist for being too liberal.[24]In publishingOn February 8, 1973, Seigenthaler was promoted to publisher of theTennessean, after Amon Carter Evans was named president of Tennessean Newspaper, Inc.As the publisher, Seigenthaler worked withAl Gore, then a reporter, on investigative stories about Nashville city council corruption in the early 1970s.[25]In February 1976, Seigenthaler contacted Gore at home to tip him off that he had heard thatU.S. RepresentativeJoe L. Evinswas retiring,[23]telling Gore "You know what I think."[18]Seiganthaler previously had been encouraging Gore to consider entering public life.[22]Gore decided to resign from the paper and drop out ofVanderbilt University Law School, beginning his political career by entering the race forTennessee's 4th congressional district, a seat previously held byAlbert Gore, Sr., his father.On May 5, 1976, Seigenthaler dismissed Jacque Srouji, acopy editoratThe Tennessean, after finding that she had served as aninformantfor theFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) for much of the previous decade. The controversy came to light after Srouji testified before the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of theSenate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which was investigatingnuclear safety. Srouji, who was writing a book critical ofKaren Silkwood, had perused more than 1000 pages of FBI documents pertaining to the nuclear power critic. In follow-up testimony, FBI agent Lawrence J. Olson, Sr. acknowledged that the bureau had a "special relationship" with Srouji.Tennesseanreporters had been suspicious of Srouji's reporting coups, coming just months after she had joined the paper. These included such things as a late-night FBI raid on illegal gambling establishments, as well as one on a local business suspected of fraud.[26]Afterwards the FBI appears to have collected rumors about Seigenthaler. FBI Deputy Assistant Director Homer Boynton told an editor of theNew York Timesto "look into Seigenthaler," whom he called "not entirely pure." After hearing this, Seigenthaler tried for a year to get his own FBI dossier, and finally received some highly expurgated material including these words: "Allegations of Seigenthaler having illicit relations with young girls, which information source obtained from an unnamed source." He had previously promised to publish whatever the FBI gave him, and did so. He flatly stated that the charges were false. The attorney general issued an apology, the allegations were removed from Seigenthaler's file, and he received the 1976 Sidney Hillman Prize for "courage in publishing".[27][28]In May 1982, Seigenthaler was named the first editorial director ofUSA Today. In announcing the appointment,GannettpresidentAllen Neuharthsaid Seigenthaler was "one of the most thoughtful and respected editors in America."[29]During Seigenthaler's tenure atUSA Today, he frequently commuted between Nashville andWashingtonto fulfill his duties at both newspapers.[30]The publication of author Peter Maas' 1983 book,Marie: A True Story, again put Seigenthaler under scrutiny over the investigation of a pardon scandal involving former Tennessee governorRay Blanton.Marie Ragghiantiwas the head of the state'sBoard of Pardons and Parolesbefore being fired after refusing to release prisoners who had bribed Blanton's aides. Since theTennesseanhad supported Blanton, the newspaper's initial reluctance in investigating the charges was called into question. However, editors and reporters had believed that Ragghianti's alleged broken affair with Blanton's chief counsel, T. Edward Sisk, was the motivation for her claims.[31]Later life

Seigenthaler discussing media coverage of theNashville sit-insat a 2010 panel discussionIn 1986,Middle Tennessee State Universityestablished the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, honoring Seigenthaler's "lifelong commitment to free expression values".[32]Three years later, Seigenthaler again became embroiled in controversy with the FBI when he was tipped off by Circuit Court Judge Gilbert S. Merritt that Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff Lafayette "Fate" Thomas, his friend since childhood, was the target of a FBI government corruption sting. Although Seigenthaler was never charged with any crime, Thomas later pled guilty to mail fraud, theft of government property, and tax conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison. Despite the conviction, the FBI claimed that Thomas' knowledge of the plan ruined countless hours of investigative work.[33]Seigenthaler announced his retirement in December 1991 fromThe Tennessean, just months after he made a similar announcement concerning his tenure atUSA Today.[citation needed]On December 15, 1991, Seigenthaler founded theFirst Amendment CenteratVanderbilt University,[34]saying, "It is my hope that this center at Vanderbilt University... will help promote appreciation and understanding for those values so vital in a democratic society." The center serves as a forum for dialog aboutFirst Amendmentissues, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.In 1996, Seigenthaler received theElijah Parish LovejoyAward as well as an honoraryDoctor of Lawsdegree fromColby College.[citation needed]In 2001, Seigenthaler was appointed to theNational Commission on Federal Election Reformthat followed the2000 presidential election. He was also a member of the Constitution Project on Liberty and Security.[citation needed]In 2002, when it was discovered thatUSA TodayreporterJack Kelleyhad fabricated some of his stories,USA Todayturned to Seigenthaler, along with veteran editorsBill HilliardandBill Kovach, to monitor the investigation.[35]In 2002, Vanderbilt renamed the 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m) building that houses theFreedom Forum, First Amendment Center, and Diversity Institute the John Seigenthaler Center. At one point,USA Todayand Freedom Forum founderAllen Neuharthcalled Seigenthaler "the best champion of the First Amendment."[2]In April 2014, theShelby Street Bridgewas renamed the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in his honor.[36]Seigenthaler hosted a book review program on Nashvillepublic televisionstationWNPT, calledA Word on Words, and chaired the selection committees for theJohn F. Kennedy LibraryFoundation'sProfiles in Courage Awardand theRobert F. Kennedy Memorial'sRobert F. Kennedy Book Award.[citation needed]Wikipedia controversyMain article:Wikipedia Seigenthaler biography incidentIn May 2005, an anonymous user ofWikipediacreated a five-sentence article about Seigenthaler that contained false and defamatory content.[37]Seigenthaler contacted Wikipedia in September, and the content was deleted. He later wrote anop-edon the experience forUSA Todayin which he wrote, "And so we live in a universe of new media with phenomenal opportunities for worldwide communications and research but populated by volunteer vandals with poison-pen intellects. Congress has enabled them and protects them",[38]a reference to theprotection from liabilitythat internet service providers are given under federal law versus editorially controlled media like newspapers and television.DeathSeigenthaler died of complications fromcolon canceron July 11, 2014, at the age of 86, surrounded by his family in his home